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The Force is with Fanboys - Film to Screen at Comic-Con!

Fanboys are certainly having a pretty good summer. Earlier this month Merriam-Webster officially added the likable collective label to the dictionary, and now we hear via Cinematical that the Weinstein's are actually releasing the Star Wars inspired film that bears the same name in its intended, geek-approved glory. Directed by Kyle Newman, Fanboys will screen at Comic-Con later this week and is set for a September theatrical release instead of being sent straight to DVD. The exact day, along with where and on how many screens is currently unknown. Considering the ups and downs the film has been subjected to, it's pretty incredible that the original version is coming to the masses in the way it should.

Producer Kevin Spacey (yes, that one) brings us the good news: "I could not be more excited that Fanboys is being released this September and is the version of the film that the fans want. I am enormously grateful to Jedi Knight Harvey Weinstein for having allowed Trigger Street to restore Fanboys to its original story and am thrilled that it will first screen during Comic-Con. We believe in this film and are honored that George Lucas and all his team gave us permission to film Skywalker Ranch and let us have so much fun with Star Wars. We also have a couple of surprises in the film that I think will bring added enjoyment to all the fans of Lucas' great and epic movies and Trigger Street is proud to have produced this film and to have kept the dark side at bay."

You might recall that earlier this year the long-in-production film suffered a decidedly frustrating setback - the Weinstein's recut the film and changed the original, self-effacing formula, much to the outrage of fanboys the nation over. Newman seems to give credit for the film's turnaround to the Stop Darth Weinstein campaign. "Speaking for everyone involved in the project, we are truly grateful for all the passion the fans have shown the film. Their support has been nothing short of phenomenal and I couldn't think of a better place in the world than San Diego during Comic-Con to unveil the final cut of Fanboys."

If you're one of the lucky ones to be attending Comic-Con this year - I'm, sadly, holding down the fort here a FS.net - the details of the exclusive screening are as follows: tickets will be given away to the first 300 people in line at the Lucasfilm's 7th Annual Star Wars Fan Movie Challenge Awards, held on July 24th at 8:30pm in Ballroom 20 at the San Diego Convention Center. During the Awards Ceremony director Kyle Newman will introduce select footage from the film, providing fans a sneak peak of the full-length feature to be shown at 10:30pm that same evening.

Set in 1998, the story tells of a group of friends who, anxious for the premiere of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, decide to break intoSkywalker Ranch and steal an early print of the film. The reason: One of them is suffering from cancer and wishes to see the film before his death.

Reader Feedback - 9 Comments

Well, I don't think I'll be one of those first three hundred in that line, but I'll definitely see it in theatres.
Thanks for the news Kevin, appreciated.

Keith on Jul 21, 2008

3

I'm proud of my participation in trying to get the original cut of Fanboys to the big screen by sending personal emails and filling out the petitions to restore balance to the Films-Force. I had a chance to see the original at comic-con and it really touched me...in many different ways (hehe) but was incredibly pissed and disappointed when I'd heard that Darth Weinstein got his mitts on it and started fucking with the whole point of it. Quite pissed indeed.
this will be a day long remembered. it has seen the end of Darth Weinstein and will soon see the end of Miramax (Kevin Smith films deserve better anyway)

Garrett.king on Jul 21, 2008

4

Wow, I've been wating for this ever since I first heard about it.

Xerxex on Jul 21, 2008

5

"The reason: One of them is suffering from cancer and wishes to see the film before his death." He definitely shouldn't have bothered.

Colin (brother of Mike) Hunt on Jul 22, 2008

6

I remember seeing the trailer for this movie like 3 years ago.
It's likely that the Comic-Con people will be the only ones to see it on the big screen before it goes straight to DVD.

The Brain on Jul 22, 2008

7

Never a huge fan of the Stop Darthweinstein Campaign. Some of the participants attacked me and my friends when we preffered a different cut from this one. They were very rude and I felt that the way they acted injured the campaign. Oh well, maybe we will get lucky and the dvd will come out with the other cut on dvd as well.

movieraider321 on Jul 22, 2008

8

Garrett.king,
From everything I've read, the final cut IS the original cut. They've pretty much scrapped the tampered version. Just FYI.